1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events, including the big-budget epic Cleopatra, Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds, and two films with all-star casts, How the West Was Won and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Events February 20 – The classic epic western How the West Was Won premieres. June 12 – Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton, premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City. Its staggering production costs nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox and the adulterous affair between Taylor and Burton made the publicity even worse. Cleopatra marked the only instance that a film would be the highest-grossing film of a year while still losing money, thus establishing it as, at the time, the biggest box office disaster in cinema history. The film's terrible reception harmed the reputation of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who had an esteemed career for directing classics like A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve, Julius Caesar, The Barefoot Contessa, Guys and Dolls, and Suddenly, Last Summer. It effectively destroyed the career of its well-known producer Walter Wanger, who never worked in Hollywood or on another film again; he died five years later at the age of 74 of a heart attack. Much of the blame of the film's failures could be pointed at Taylor's super-diva personality, her and Burton's adulterous affair, and the studio's inadequate management. It wouldn't be until two years later that Rodgers and Hammerstein's adaptation of The Sound of Music would help rescue Fox from bankruptcy by becoming one of the highest-grossing motion pictures of all time. November 7 – The classic comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World premieres and it boasts one of the finest all-star ensemble casts ever, easily the most impressive for a comedy. It is also the first comedy film ever directed by Stanley Kramer, best known for directing serious human drama films on controversial subjects like The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. November 23 – Doctor Who first premieres in Great Britain. The show continues to this day, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. December 25 – Walt Disney's production of The Sword in the Stone premieres. It is the second adaptation of T. H. White's The Once and Future King after the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical Camelot, the first cinematic adaptation of the novel, and the 13th film adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. Top-grossing films (U.S.) (*) After theatrical re-issue(s) Awards Academy Awards: Best Picture: Tom Jones — Woodfall, United Artists-Lopert (British)Best Director: Tony Richardson – Tom JonesBest Actor: Sidney Poitier – Lilies of the FieldBest Actress: Patricia Neal – HudBest Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas – HudBest Supporting Actress: Margaret Rutherford – The V.I.P.sBest Foreign Language Film: 8½ (Otto e mezzo), directed by Federico Fellini, Italy Golden Globe Awards: Drama:Best Picture: The CardinalBest Actor: Sidney Poitier - Lilies of the FieldBest Actress: Leslie Caron - The L-Shaped RoomMusical or comedy:Best Picture: Tom JonesBest Actor: Alberto Sordi - Il diavoloBest Actress: Shirley MacLaine - Irma la DouceOtherBest Director: Elia Kazan - America, America Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival): The Leopard (Il Gattopardo), directed by Luchino Visconti, Italy Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): Hands Over the City (Le mani sulla città), directed by Francesco Rosi, Italy Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival): Il diavolo (To Bed... or Not to Bed), directed by Gian Luigi Polidoro, Italy Notable films released in 1963 #8½ #From Russia with Love Christmas films #Christmas Cracker #A Visit to Santa Short Film Series Looney Tunes (1930–1969) Terrytoons (1930–1964) Merrie Melodies (1931–1969) Yosemite Sam (1945-1963) Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968) Births Deaths Film debuts Alan Alda - Gone are the Days! Mel Brooks - The Critic James Caan - Irma la Douce Héctor Elizondo - The Fat Black Pussycat Kurt Russell - It Happened at the World's Fair Lynn Redgrave - Tom Jones Donald Sutherland - The World Ten Times Over References 1.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Cleopatra. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 2.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for How the West Was Won. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 3.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 4.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Tom Jones. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 5.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Irma la Douce. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 6.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for The Sword in the Stone. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 7.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Son of Flubber. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 8.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Dr. No. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 9.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for The V.I.P.s The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 10.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for McLintock! The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 11.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Charade. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 12.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Bye Bye Birdie. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 13.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Move Over, Darling. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 14.Jump up ^ "All-Time Top Grossers", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 69 15.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for The Thrill of It All. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 16.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for The Great Escape. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 17.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for The Cardinal. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 18.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Hud. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 19.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for 55 Days at Peking. The Numbers. Retrieved September 2, 2013. 20.^ Jump up to: a b "Big Rental Pictures of 1964", Variety, 6 January 1965 p 39. 21.Jump up ^ "Top Rental Films of 1963", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 37 22.Jump up ^ Box Office Information for Donovan's Reef. The Numbers. Retrieved September 5, 2013. 23.Jump up ^ Hollywood Trick: Or, How To Turn Cheap 'Lilies' Into Gold by Murray Schumachhollywood.. New York Times (1923-Current file) York, N.Y 09 Feb 1964: X9. Category:Years in film Category:1963 in film